CELESTIAL CONTINENT 1: Ezequiel Nightingale

CHAPTER 5

BEFORE THE SUN RISES FROM THE EAST, the Celestials have already set off towards the border to fight against the Hunters. This path led them towards their death, but they were determined to protect their people and their homeland.

Theo could sigh when he didn’t see Dimitri and Ezequiel in their group. Just like the plan last night, to avoid heavy casualties in their group, they must launch a surprise attack on the Hunters before the sun rises from the East.

By then, the Hunters will be disrupted.

And the plan, it must be Dimitri and Ezequiel who will attack the enemy first, while he and Aella will lead the group toward the border.

Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion at the front.

“They have started,” Queen Aella said.

Theo looked at the Celestials. “Everyone, the war has started. Before going to the border, those who want to leave can leave now. Those who wanted to stay and fight will stayed.”

Theo looked around when no one moved or spoke, but their faces showed determination and not fear to protect their homeland. The corner of his lips curled up. “Since you have decided, you should not back down. Let’s go!”

The Celestials then walked toward the border.

Meanwhile, Ezequiel and Dimitri were already in the fight against the hunters. Many hunters were already lying lifeless on the ground. Dimitri and Ezequiel were back-to-back against each other while the Hunters were surrounding them.

“Can you hold on?” Ezequiel asked.

Dimitri nodded. “I can,” he answered. Though he could feel that he was already losing his strength. The power he released earlier backfired on his body. He hadn’t recovered yet, and now, he had sustained another injury.

“Liar,” said Ezequiel.

Dimitri only smiled. “The sun was rising. They have arrived.”

Ezequiel nodded. “Yeah, the Celestials have arrived,” he said.

“Comrades, kill them!” One of the hunters holding a crossbow ordered his comrades.

Dimitri and Ezequiel grinned. These hunters thought they were as easy to kill as ants.

Ezequiel used his unhuman speed and attacked the hunters, surrounding them. In just a second, he managed to kill the hunters, slashing their throats using his sharp claws, making the other hunters stunned, who saw how their comrades died.

Dimitri shakes his head. “This friend of mine, he really loves to finish everything at a fast pace.”

“You managed to kill my comrades. You, Celestials, are really heartless!”

“Heartless? We were living in our own dimension peacefully and yet you came to us to disrupt our peaceful world. You were going to kill us. Of course, we will protect ourselves and our homeland,” said Ezequiel.

“You wanted to conquer our world! Of course, we will protect our world too!”

Ezequiel looked at Dimitri. Judging from the Hunter’s words, someone was instigating them. He was right from the beginning; someone was using the Hunters to disrupt their continent.

“Comrades, attack!”

Ezequiel made a barrier to protect him and Dimitri from the Hunter’s arrow.

The number of hunters was hundreds compared to their numbers as Celestials, but their weapons are not to be shaken off. Their weapons are much stronger now than before.

Dimitri and Ezequiel have managed to destroy the hunter’s trap and kill some of them, but even so, that doesn’t guarantee that they will win the war.

Later, Ezequiel heard the sound of war. He looked at the mountain and saw his brother playing his flute. His worry was somewhat lessened, seeing his brother not participating in the war. Suddenly, Dimitri grabbed him. He heard the sound of an arrow whooshing, but it was Dimitri who got shot in his arm.

“Dimitri!”

“I’m fine,” said Dimitri, pulling the arrow from his arm. He closed his eyes when he felt dizzy.

“It was silver mixed with poison.” Ezequiel saw the weapon and the black blood from Dimitri’s wound.

Dimitri nodded, ignoring the fact that he was wounded. “I know.” He looked in front, and the fight between the Celestials and the Hunters had started. The Hunters’ attention was now on the Celestial, not on Dimitri and Ezequiel.

Dimitri and Ezequiel looked at each other. They nodded and went to help the Celestials.

The war was intense. Blood was spilled on the ground. As the war started, lifeless bodies started to fall to the ground.

In the battleground, a symphony of terrifying and intense sounds fills the air. Amidst the chaos, the screams of the wounded and the cries of pain and desperation to win the war can be heard.

Ezequiel picked up the bow from the fallen Celestials. He picked up the three arrows and aimed them at the Hunters. Securing his target, he released the arrow, and the arrow hit three hunters. He looked around; the situation was similar to the war that happened one hundred years ago.

He looked around; everyone was fighting against the Hunters. Theo and Aella were fighting against hunters. Even if they used their powers, they were no match for the hunters' weapon; it was strong and contained poison.

Suddenly, a portal emerged, and a group of people in black clothing came out. And they kill every person they meet. The people who came out of the portal were surrounded by black mist.

“What’s happening?” Aella asked. “Who are they?”

“I don’t know!” Theo answered and summoned his powers. Lightning strikes the ground, hitting the group of people who came out of the portal. They fell to the ground.

Theo shook off his hands, but he stopped when the people hit by the lightning rose.

“What the… how come they are still alive?!” he asked in surprise.

“Looks like your power was not that powerful,” said Aella, teasing Theo.

Theo glared at Aella. Even if he wanted to retaliate, now was not the time to argue.

“They are being controlled by demonic power,” said Ezequiel when he approached Thea and Aella.

“Have you seen anything like this before?” Aella asked.

Ezequiel shakes his head. “No, but I’ve read the history of the war between the Celestial Lord and the Dark Lord. This thing was mentioned in the book.”

“So, are they being controlled by the Dark Lord?” Dimitri asked when he arrived. He was covered in blood. Actually, all of them were now covered in blood.

“But the Dark Lord disappeared one thousand years ago.”

“He might have already been back,” Ezequiel said while looking at the people in dark clothing. “And the Dark Lord called his people Blackguards.”

“This is bad. We can’t win this war if these blackguards are involved in this war,” Dimitri said, worrying.

Theo sighed. “They have already been involved, and we have no way out. Unless…” he said, and he rushed to the portal. While rushing towards the portal where the Blackguards were continuously coming out, he summoned his power, and the lightning struck the portal.

The portal was shattered.

The fight against the Hunters and the Blackguards continued. But the Blackguards were so strong that they couldn’t defeat them.

At that moment, Dimitri thought of a plan to kill the Blackguards. He made a gesturewithf his hand and summoned his power. The sky turned dark.

“Dimitri,” Ezequiel muttered. “This brat was going to use his demon power again. He won’t really listen to me,” he said.

In the last war, when Dimitri used his power, he was severely injured, and that’s why he disappeared after the war.

Ezequiel rushes to Dimitri, but as soon as he arrives, Dimitri is surrounded by a protective barrier. Dimitri was at the center of the battlefield, summoning his power. The sky was already dark, and the dark clouds were circling in the atmosphere.

Ezequiel couldn’t come near Dimitri because the protective barrier that Dimitri set would shatter his veins. He doesn’t want to die yet. He still wanted to look for his mate.

“What was the Demon King doing?” Theo asked.

“He was summoning his power,” said Aella. “His power was powerful. He rarely used it. And when he used it, it would exhaust his body.”

“Then why was he trying to use it now?” Theo asked.

“He wanted to end the war without suffering too many casualties on our side,” Ezequiel said, and summoned his powers. Dimitri had made his choice. And as the rulers of this continent, we must help him to make the hunters retreat.”

“Alright,” Theo and Aella agreed.

Aella summoned his scepter and created a protective barrier for every celestial. The Demon King’s power was so powerful that it could make someone kill someone with no remains left.

Theo gave Aella support towards the protective barrier.

Meanwhile, Ezequiel closes his eyes and pushes the hunters away. “Go back to the Human Race before the Demon King’s power kills you,” he said. “Once he releases his power, I can’t guarantee that you will live,” were his last words before he returned to Theo and Aella’s side.

“You helped them?” Theo asked in disbelief.

“They're humans,” Ezequiel answered, watching the Hunters crossing the border to leave the Celestial Continent. And then the Blackguards were the only opponent left on the battlefield.

“But they’re hunters—” Theo stopped when he realized something. “Forget it. I won’t say a word about it.”

“Thanks.” And with that, Theo made a barrier to protect himself.

Dimitri released his power towards the Blackguards.

A sound of surging power was heard.

The Demon King's power struck the Blackguards, and they disappeared like a puff of smoke, vanishing into the thin air.

MAXIMUS, the Dark Lord, who was controlling the Blackguard, spit out blood. His subordinates were killed by the Demon King.

The portal he made for his Blackguard to enter the Celestial Continent was destroyed by the Vampire King.

“It’s no wonder that they have become the rulers of the Regions on the Celestial Continent. They were powerful. More powerful than their ancestors,” said Maximus. He wiped the blood on the corner of his lips.

The Hunters whom he instigated to kill supernatural beings failed again. “Useless humans,” he said in anger and clenched his fist. It's useless that he opened the border for them.

“Forget it. I will come back after I fully recover my power. I will make sure that no one can stop me from conquering the Celestial Continent.”

With that, Maximus returned to the Underworld to cultivate his power and become stronger than the Celestial Lord.